Jersika

Jersika 

an ancient economic, political, and cultural center of the Latgali tribe, mentioned in the Livonian Chronicle of Henry of Latvia (13th century). Vsevolod, the prince of Jersika, was a vassal of the prince of Polotsk. The remains of Jersika, consisting ofagorodishche (site of a fortified town), an adjoining selishche (site of an unfortified town), and a burial ground, are situated on the right bank of the Daugava River in Preili Raion, Latvian SSR. On the site of the fortified town (100 x 75 m), in levels of the tenth through 13th centuries, the excavations of F. Balodis (1939) uncovered the remains of log dwellings with adobe stoves as well as handi-craft workshops. The discovery of a number of imported objects, including small crosses, testifies to active links that existed between Jersika and Polotsk and other Russian cities.

REFERENCES

Alekseev, L. V. Polotskaia zemlia (Ocherki istorii Severnoi Belorussii), IX-XIII vv. Moscow, 1966.
Balodis, F. Jersika un tai 1939, gada izdarltie izrakumi. Riga, 1940.